How to Save a Ghost
by Lady RiRi
Summary: Sven gets in over his head when he tries to collect a 600k bounty. He and Eve find themselves trapped in an underground world filled with impossible dreams and unbelievable violence. Can he and Eve make it out alive and save a woman who's already dead? Version 2.0 coming.
1. Chapter 1

-This is just an idea I've been thinking about for awhile and since I have a little free time I figured I would write it down. I like it and I hope anyone who reads it will too. Don't own Black Cat. Just this story line and original characters. And in case I forget this warning applies for the whole story.

There are two things I hate in life: Mondays and smoke rings. Mondays are either filled with excitement or incredibly dull. There is no in between. Sometimes over the weekend, people commit crimes, get bounties placed on them, and I get a nice payroll. The other times, nothing happens over the weekend, and Eve and I are broke. Smoke rings, on the other hand, are evil all the time. I'm a heavy smoker, but I can't blow a smoke ring to save my life. So there I was sitting in the park, on a Monday, trying to blow a smoke ring. I really should have taken all that into consideration when I met this woman.

She was…gorgeous to say the least. She had shoulder length red hair that reminded me of fire and blue eyes with a hint of green like the ocean. Very interesting contrast…Even her clothing went against the norm. We were in the middle of the summer, and she was dressed in black and green. I was still hot even with my suit jacket off and tie undone, but this girl had to be roasting. She had on black pants that looked two sizes too big, and a green tank top that was as tight as her pants were loose. She even had the black boots and shades on top of her head to match. That wasn't the weird part though. What was weird was the back pack she hauled around that looked like it weighed twice as much as her.

"Sven, I found her." Eve whispered coming up behind me.

I somewhat lied earlier. This wasn't really a dull Monday. We were hunting down a huge bounty, 600k, but I wasn't eager about the target. Dangerous criminals are one thing, but this time the target was a cute little girl. The poster didn't even have a name. She had two little blue pigtails, ribbons, and everything. She was so cute in fact that I almost questioned Annette, and she's always right. If Annette said the kid was worth 600k, then the kid was worth 600k. That didn't mean I had to like the situation though. That was also why I wasn't looking too hard for her.

"Good job. Where is she?" I asked already thinking of a plan.

"Over on the swing. She's the one in the middle."

There was no mistaken the kid. I should have known she would be dressed in all pink. Pink t-shirt, pink shorts, pink socks, and pink shoes. She looked like cotton candy.

Another thing with little kids was that I couldn't exactly go up to one and say, "You're under arrest." A man in his thirties trying to take away a little kid would have caused a scene I didn't want to deal with, and that was the best scenario. The worst that could have happened was the kid was like Eve or Leon. The old Eve and Leon who were killers whether they liked it or not.

"Here's the plan…Try to get to know her. When she begins to trust you, we'll treat her to ice cream. While she's distracted, we question her." I explained quickly before anyone could overhear.

Eve nodded and left me feeling like the scum of the earth. I was about to bribe a little kid for information which doesn't fit into my code at all. I hoped Eve was having fun at least. It wasn't often she did anything except read for fun.

"Is that your daughter? The little blond girl?"

I tilted my head back in surprise to stare into those ocean blue eyes. The gorgeous woman was standing behind the bench slightly, smiling, but obviously expecting an answer.

"Well…Sorta…You could say that." I responded carefully. I don't particularly like lying to women.

"I see. I'm sorry if you think I'm prying. I try to keep an eye on Robin's friends."

"Robin huh? She's the one in pink?" I asked patting the bench beside me.

"Yes. I tried to teach her there were more colors than pink and blue, but she doesn't like listening to me." The woman replied joining me.

"That's too bad. You would think a girl her age would listen to her mother with no questions asked." I commented examining her carefully.

She was pretty and dangerous. I could barely make out the bulge of a gun in one of her pants pocket, but I had to admit she hid it well.

"I suppose so…" Was all she said before our eyes met.

We must have been thinking the exact same thing. We were up in a flash. I grabbed my attaché case the same moment she pulled her gun. People were trying to grab their kids and escape, but I wasn't worried about casualties. Something told me this woman had no interest in anyone but me.

"Who sent you?"

"Who are you?"

We were almost in sync. Eve must have heard the commotion since she came running with her arm transformed into a hammer. The woman took one final look at me before she jumped on the bench to avoid Eve's attack. She had her gun pointed directly at Eve's head before we even knew what happened.

"Alice!"

Alice--if that was her real name--gave that Robin-kid a glare that could freeze an active volcano. She used Eve's head as a stepping stone to reach Robin, but not once did her gun leave its target. Not even when Robin attached herself to Alice's leg.

"I'll tell you this once. Leave us alone, or next time I will kill you both." Alice stated simply as she kneeled to the ground.

Robin climbed on her back, and Alice stood back up slowly. She backed away with her gun still raised until she took off in a dead run. There was no doubt in my mind that that woman was a killer. The only question was the reason the bounty was for the kid, and not her.

Well that's the story. Now I'm driving through the city like a madman tracking Eve who's following the woman. Believe me I don't want to do this, but Eve's stubborn especially when her pride's damaged. It's not often she gets stepped on after all. The phone rang and I picked up on the first ring.

"Everything ok?" I asked urgently.

"No. She ducked into an alley, and I lost her. Should I search for her in the sky?" Eve asked.

"I have a feeling she won't be that easy to spot. She probably changed her appearance. Meet me in front of Annette's. We'll decide what to do then." I replied as I hung up the phone and lit a cigarette.

I turned off the police radio so the only distraction in the car would be the smoke drifting lazily out the window. My gentleman's code requires me to be courteous to women and children, but dangerous women don't exactly apply. Then again I never had to deal with a dangerous woman with a kid. Maybe she's on the run from her abusive husband and took self defense classes to protect herself? No, that woman had serious training to be able to aim a gun from that position.

The trip to Annette's has become a second habit to me. I have no idea how long I sat there in front of her shop--better yet arrived--before Eve tapped on the window breaking me from my concentration. I made sure to lock the car before walking into the shop. It would really ruin my day for someone to sneak off with my car. I mumbled a hello to Annette as Eve and I took a sit at a bar.

"Found her Sven?" Annette asked not bothering to look up from the glass she was polishing.

"Yeah and lost her. Don't ask how a kid got away from me. I'm not quite sure I understand myself. We did find out her name is Robin." I answered with a shrug.

"Well if you came for more information, I can't really help you. The bounty isn't offered by the police. Some old man brought in the paper and posted it himself. He said he had the cash for it so I didn't argue. When I saw it was a kid, I took it down as soon as he left and kept it for you. Figured your gentleman code would keep you from hurting her." Annette replied as she sat the glass down.

"What about the woman, Alice, she's with. Do you know anything about her?" Eve asked, but Annette shook her head.

"First I've heard of this Alice woman. Could be fake names." Annette answered.

No, I don't think those names were fake Annette. Robin did look frightened and fear causes people to forget things. Even things that they are conditioned to know especially when dealing with children. I can't exactly prove that right now, so I'll just keep that detail to myself. I put out my cigarette, and was about to light another one, but Annette nodded behind me.

Both Eve and I turned around, and I could have fallen from my seat from shock. There they were! They didn't even bother changing their appearance. Robin was skipping a little ahead of Alice like the park incident hadn't happened, but something wasn't right. Even from a distance I could see Alice's face was paler than about an hour ago, and she was wearing the shades over her eyes instead of her head.

"Well isn't she bold?" I muttered absently.

Eve was already at the door before I followed. This would be tricky. Robin and Alice had gone into a small restaurant across the street. If Alice's threat was serious, we had to be very careful to avoid any casualties.

"Be careful you two. I have a bad feeling about them." Annette called after us.

Well at least I know I'm not crazy for being this uneasy.

"Sven, do you have a plan?" Eve asked, and I shook my head.

"Not really. Right now I think the best thing to do is just talk with her. I think there's more to that bounty than we know, and it's against my code to abandon a woman."

Yeah, talking is good. Talking keeps guns from being pulled. Guns weren't pulled until the talking stopped, and this time, I'm going to be a bit more discrete checking her for weapons.

The next chapter will be from Alice's point of view, so like always let me know what you guys think.


	2. Chapter 2

Still don't own Black Cat. Nothing has changed since last time...

Chapter 2

_You should have killed him._

_In a park full of people, yeah right._

_He saw your face. You should know that's a no no._

_It's Monday. Don't I normally hear you around Thursday?_

_Yes, but for a moment, you wanted me to take over. Then she ruined everything._

"Waffles?"

"Huh? What?" I muttered when Robin broke my one sided conversation.

"Can I get waffles?" She repeated with a hopeful smile that could melt ice.

Too bad it was wasted on me.

"Sure whatever. Find someplace you want to eat." I think I answered, but I wasn't completely sure.

At times like this, I can never be sure who's talking: me or her. Normally I can tell the difference because she's usually rude and sarcastic, but at the moment I'm irritated. I'm not irritated at Robin. I could never be irritated at her, but I am irritated that the man from the park knows our names. Especially since an annoying part of my brain won't let that fact rest.

_Don't you love it when our personalities mix?_

_No. In case you forgot, you're part of me. It doesn't work both ways._

_That's not fair. I listen to you when you have things to say. I even took the child with us instead of leaving her with that guy who knows both of your names by the way. No one cares about Robin, but he knows who you are!_

_Would it make you happy if we found and killed him? Then would you shut up! There's no solid evidence of us anywhere. He has no way of tracking us. _

"Let's stop here!" Robin exclaimed with so much enthusiasm that for a brief second I forced myself to tune out that annoying voice in my head. Then it started again.

I don't know how, but I forced a smile as Robin led me inside and into a booth. I had a chatterbox kid in front of me and an angry chatterbox voice in my head still complaining over the man with the hat. At least one of the chatterboxes would be gone as soon as I took my medicine. No, I have to last until at least Thursday. If I can make it until Thursday then maybe I can keep my sanity a little while longer.

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the leather seat. I needed coffee desperately because fatique was starting to catch up with me. Mondays are supposed to be my happy days. Mondays aren't supposed to be the days I feel like the walking dead no matter how much I hide it. Mondays are supposed to be the days when I'm somewhat normal. The days when I can laugh and smile with Robin like I planned the day we left. Like we use to before I became a monster. Correction, a bigger monster.

"Coffee. Leave the pot when you bring it and an order of waffles for the kid." I muttered when the waitress stopped at the table.

"Can I get one of the sweet cakes too while we wait on the waffles?"

"It's your teeth." I replied not bothering to hide the fact that at the moment, I didn't care what anyone did.

Normally I would tell her no because I really do care about her health, but she understands I think. Sometimes I'm not the woman she ran away. That doesn't mean she doesn't take advantages of moments like this. She just won't get dessert again for awhile once Thursday comes.

I'm pretty sure the waitress walked away in shock. It's not often a customer knows every move anyone makes without opening her eyes. Like right now, Robin is drawing on a napkin, and the waitress is pouring the first cup of coffee. I can hear the pen scratching away in front of me, and if the pouring that I hear from a distance isn't my coffee, there is going to be a problem.

_What do you think you're doing?_

_Trying to tune you out, but it's not working._

_Why are you trying to sleep in a public place like this? Have you forgotten you're wanted?_

_Perhaps because of your constant chattering, I haven't been able to sleep in days._

_Really? I thought it was the nightmares._

"Here's your coffee and cake ma'am. The waffles will be ready in a few minutes." The waitress commented cheerfully.

I waited until she was gone before I opened my eyes again. My head was pounding, and even through the shades, the light was making it worse. I was thankful that Robin was completely absorbed in her food which would give me a few moments of peace. It's not that I don't like the kid, but on days like this, she would be better off back where we came. That's a lie. Anywhere is better than where we came.

I tried to lift the mug, but my hands were shaking. Not enough to be noticeable by anyone but me, but still enough to cause the hot liquid to be dangerously close to my skin. Obviously a sign of sleep deprivation and anxiety. If a lack of rest was keeping me from my coffee, then something had to be done. On the other hand, I do drink coffee to stay awake during times like this so I guess I'll just have to be careful.

I was just about to take the first wonderful sip when the door opened, and as luck would have it, hat man walked in with that kid. He really picked the wrong time to mess with me if he came to start trouble. Nothing short of a natural disaster is keeping me from my coffee.

_Looks like you were followed._

_I suppose it does._

_You gave him fair warning, so its allright to kill him this time right?_

_If he causes trouble then yes._

_Finally I get a chance to play!_


	3. Chapter 3

I was hoping for more people to be interested, but since it looks like I might have some interest, here's another chapter...

"Are you sure this is going to work Sven?" Eve asked as we walked through the door.

Honestly all I could do was nod since I had no idea if it would work or not. The worst that could happen would be for her to go through with her promise. I know she didn't mind threatening people in front of Robin, but to actually kill someone was a different story. I'm pretty sure Robin wouldn't be so happy if she had before. Only one way to way to find out.

I have to admit its kind of unnerving to know a woman's staring at you without even looking in her direction. How do I know? Easy. I can practically feel her eyes drilling a hole through the side of my face. No, I'm not looking directly at her. I don't want her to think that we specifically came to see her. If Eve looks, that's all right since well…she's a master at hiding her facial expressions.

"Coffee for me. Eve do you want anything?" I asked as Eve and I took a seat at the counter.

Eve shook her head, and I really don't blame her. I didn't really want anything either, but I was trying to be as casual as possible. No point in looking even more suspicious especially since I put my attaché case on top of the counter. The proper thing to do would be to leave it on the ground beside me, but I had two reasons. First, I could see Alice's reflection on the side of it. Second, if she started shooting, I wouldn't be completely unarmed.

One thing I did notice is that nothing seemed to faze her. I knew there was a possibility that she would pull out her gun again as soon as I touched my case, but she continued to calmly watch me while drinking her coffee.

After a moment, she put down her mug and took one of the napkins in front of Robin and scribbled something down on it. She whispered something to the kid who nodded and took the napkin running over to me.

"Alice wanted me to give this to you, and when you're finished, you're supposed to send your response back by her." Robin stated pointing at Eve, and she returned to her booth.

So she's going to make the first move? I opened the napkin and would have laughed at the doodles all over it if I hadn't found what Alice had written.

_What do you want? Are you following me?_

Now how to answer this? I had to get her attention somehow…

_I'm not following you. I'm following Robin._

I passed the note over to Eve who read over it before glancing at me curiously. I knew she thought I was crazy, but the less information Alice had, the more likely she was to talk to us. Or, she could panic…

"Just be on guard. I think we might be able to make her want to talk to us." I whispered quietly to Eve.

"What makes you think that?" Eve asked folding the napkin carefully to buy time.

"Well she didn't shoot us as soon as we came in. Other than that, I can't be sure." I responded, and Eve went to deliver the message.

I finally took the time to taste the coffee and had to admit it tasted pretty good. No wonder Alice didn't seem to want to put hers down... Speaking of Alice, she was nodding towards me in what I guessed was her way of saying to join her. I lit a cigarette before I went balancing my coffee in one hand and case in the other.

Alice stood up to allow Eve to slide in and Robin moved to the other side of the booth to make way for me and Eve to sit down. Smart move. They could get out easier that way. To any on lookers, we must have looked cozy with Robin and me on one side and Eve and Alice on the other. Convenient set up too. Alice and I could look each other directly in the eye. Well I could if she wasn't wearing those shades.

"So you're following Robin? Why her instead of me?" Alice asked. Right down to business like I thought.

"I would be chasing you too if you at a 600k bounty on your head." I replied taking a long drag on my cigarette.

That definately got her attention. She had me by the collar of my shirt before I could blink. I tightened my grip on the mug fully prepared to throw it at her if I had to, and used my other hand to try and pry her hand off. The woman had a grip like steel!

"Calm down! You're making a scene! Eve don't do anything!" I shouted when Eve's hands began to transform.

"But Sven!" Eve started but Alice cut her off.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't break your neck right now?" Alice muttered deadly serious.

"Because he's not a bad man…" Robin whispered quietly.

Nice to know I have someone else on my side. Does make me wonder how the kid knows.

"What makes you sure Robin?" Alice asked glancing over to Robin who had stopped eating. She could probably make a decent mind-reader.

"Because the bad men are outside…"

Time seemed to stop when the whole table looked out of the window. Sure enough about fifteen men in black suits were slowly starting to surround the place.

"Friends of yours?" I asked as I removed her now limp hand from my shirt.

"You could say that…" Alice muttered as she pulled out her gun.

This was definitely bad. Not only would they start a mass panic opening fire on us, but we were severely out numbered. These definitely weren't odds I wanted to deal with.

"How good is your shot?" Alice asked out of the blue.

"Well I survived this long so it must be pretty good. What are you thinking?" Well whatever it was couldn't be good.

"I want you to take Robin and leave through the back while I distract these guys. I promise you your way will be clear." Alice stated as she moved her shades to the top of her head.

If her eyes were an ocean before then there was definitely a storm brewing now. Her whole persona seemed to change. She still looked calm, but there was something even deadlier about her now. She was just like the old Train before Eve convinced him not to kill.

"How do you know you can trust me? I am a sweeper after all." I asked letting curiosity get the best of me.

Alice actually laughed. A laugh that sent chills through my blood, but a laugh none the less. She twirled the gun around her finger before pointing it directly at my head mid spin, but lowered it just as quickly.

"You haven't figured it out yet? I need you to get Robin out of here safely. Let's make one thing clear though. If I see one scratch on her when I finish here, I will kill both you and the blond kid. If you try to run, I will hunt you down like a dog, and I guarantee your deaths won't be quick. Now wait until I have their attention before you move and stay on the ground."

Sometimes the only thing you can do in certain situations is to remain quiet, and this was definitely one of those times.


	4. Chapter 4: Sorry!

Wow. This brings back memories!

First of all, let me apologize for abandoning this story so suddenly. If I remember correctly, I was finishing up high school around the time I got involved on this site. Between gaming and graduation, my free time was pretty much nonexistent. In addition, I stopped checking the email account registered to this screen name, so I had no idea people were actually reading my material. Now that I'm not a gamer, I shouldn't have any issues with managing my time. I will say that I'm a 2L law student now. I'm hoping that this year won't be as...draining as the first year which will leave me time to write.

Anyway, I think I want to get back into writing fanfictions. Here's the problem. I no longer write in first person because I really prefer third person past tense. I also want to establish a concrete way of handling the Alice character, especially if she retains the alternative personality (which she likely will). Therefore, I'm going to reboot this story. I might actually have the first chapter out tonight and will likely update once a week.

The faithful Black Cat fans will also be proud to know that I finally finished both the manga and the anime which means I should be better able to keep the characters in character! In case anyone's curious, I watched the last episode of the anime...two days ago and fell in love with it all over again. Of course my mind automatically went back to the stories I did on here ha!

As for the reviewer who asked where Train is...Let's just say that he's a stray cat. He'll get involved when someone leaves a glass of milk out for him~

Thanks for the support everyone!

P.S. If anyone has any trouble finding the new story, just bring it to my attention through a review of the old version or message. It will probably be rated T and listed under Sven. I'll also be working on a new DBZ fic I think in the coming days. So if anyone's interested in that, be on the lookout as well =D Anyway, here's a sneak peak to be sure that this isn't just an update.

**"Please just let me go..." Desperation had to be his motivation for using his elbows to pull his broken body inch by inch across the room, but the jean covered leg of his torturer could be seen almost lazily following behind. "I have a family. My daughter's only-only six." He pleaded, but those must have been the wrong words. In two quick strides, the pursuer had moved to the senator's side and knelt down. For the first time, the camera's angle was in a position to show more than the legs of the intruder, but a silver mask prevented any distinguishable features from being shown. Based on the way the pursuer's head moved closer to the ear of the senator, quiet words were exchanged before the latter's face was slammed back to the ground. One clean shot to the back of the senator's head was all it took for Jonathon Langston's promising career to be brought to an end, and one shot to the camera brought an end to the only evidence left behind at the crime scene.**


End file.
